Tuesday, November 29, 2016

Sunday, November 27, 2016

here is the beginning of my first ever short story ---- whatcha think?

Louise struggled to get out of her
seat and headed for the door before the bus driver closed the door and
continued his route. It was the same everyday of the week, every week of the
month and every month of the year. Same routine, same pain, same panic to reach
the door. Why she didn’t sit closer to the door remained a mystery to the
driver.

Louise did not know the driver’s
name and he did not know hers. They were compatible strangers. He always
watched as she struggled down the three steps to the curb, never offering to
help. He knew she always panicked about him leaving before she disembarked, but
he would never do that.

He drove away as she ambled down the
street to her door steps. Once again struggling up three steps she would open
the front door to hear, “Mama’s home! Mama’s home!” at which point three
children as tall as Louise rushed up to hug their mama.

It seemed as if they were all talking at
the same time, “How was your day?”

“How is your back?”

“Did you bring us any treats?”

“I’m starving, how soon is dinner?”

Louise gently smiled at her three loves
and calmly said, “My day was good, my back is fine, I didn’t bring any treats
and I will start dinner in five minutes.” She looked longingly at the
overstuffed couch against the wall and breathed a heavy sigh. Oh if she could
just have ten minutes of peace when she walked in the door.

“Where’s your father?” She asked the
group in general.

Her youngest, Larry, shrugged his
shoulders and said, “I haven’t seen him. Is he supposed to be home?”

Camille, her eleven year old daughter,
said quietly, “Mama, I don’t think he’s here. When we came home from school the
house was empty.”

Last Darryl, her eldest at thirteen,
responded, “He isn’t here and we don’t need him!”

“Now now Darryl, you know you don’t mean
that.”

“I sure do!” he said stomping his foot
for emphasis. “What’s the point of him being here? He doesn’t talk to us, he
doesn’t sit with us, he doesn’t seem to even like us.”

Louise looked at her son, who was
already three inches taller than her and said, “Daddy works very hard to put
food on the table and clothes on your back. When he gets home from work he is
tired, that’s all. I know he loves all three of you very much.”

“If you say so.”

Louise went into her little kitchen only
to find a dish full of dirty dishes, crumbs all over the counters and an open
milk container on the table. “How many times do I have to ask you all to clean
up after yourselves?” It was as if she were speaking to deaf ears.

After cleaning the clutter she went
about the task of making dinner. It was not much but she made do and the
children ate every last drop. “Now, who still has homework to do?”

Sunday, November 20, 2016

July 15, 2020: Bruce looked in the
mirror and stared at his fifty year old face. There were fine lines around his
eyes and mouth. His skin had been permanently frosted and hardened by the
sun. He lifted his gaze from the mirror
to outside. His morning view of the lake still amazed him after fifteen years
of mornings. That lake had provided him sustenance and tranquility. He knew that his solitary life was the only
way he would ever live. His partners in life had four legs and he was settled
with that. At the current moment there were three members of his household. He
was never quite sure how they found him. His infrequent trips to town for
supplies managed to attract all the strays.

Being self-sufficient, those trips
became less often and less frequent. There was nothing that he needed that he
couldn’t find from the land around him. Buying all the prime land around a lake
afforded him the ability to build on each shore. Some of the houses were bare
minimums and others had a few luxuries. He found himself most comfortable in
those with minimal amenities.

Bruce knew that his lifestyle was
not for everyone and that he would end up dying alone, but the truth was that
he had lived his life alone since the day the boat set sail. The events that
occurred thereafter set his destiny. Simplicity and serenity were all he
sought.

For all of you who have witnessed this story unfold, it will be available in a pdf version under the title of the The Mirror.

Monday, November 7, 2016

Sunday, November 6, 2016

Bruce
looked at himself in the mirror and all he could see was contempt. "Looks
like we're stuck together forever," he said out loud to the image. “It’s
time we make an attempt to get over the past and today is as good a day as
any.” He walked out of the hotel room
and went across the street to grab some breakfast.

Upon
entering the diner, Shirley’s face lit. “Well good morning Bruce! I hope you
had a pleasant night. What can I get you for breakfast?”

He ordered
the special and sat quietly in the back booth looking over the newspaper. He
didn’t remember the last time he’d woken up with absolutely nothing to do; no
people to find, no clues to uncover and no plans. It was an oddly peaceful
feeling. When Shirley brought his breakfast he asked her, “What’s there to do around
here?”

“Nothing
really,” she answered. “We are isolated from any of the big city events. This
town is basically a truck stop or a map dot. There’s not a lot of activity.
There aren’t a lot of folks living here and those that do are heavily into
hunting.”

“Hunting?”

“There’s a
wild game preserve not too far north of here, hunting season is round about October
through December. Before the season opens you can hike and observe all the
wildlife. Lots of folks spend their time there. There’re deer, elk, wild birds,
rabbits and who knows what else. It would be a good place for you to get to
know yourself.”

“Sounds
interesting, how would I get there?”

“It’s
about three miles from here – not sure if you’re much of a hiker.”

“Oh, you’d
be surprised. After living on an island for so many years, it was no longer
hiking, it was surviving.”

“Do you want
me to pack you a lunch?” Shirley asked.

“That’s a
great idea! I’m going to have to go find a backpack and then I’ll be back.”

Bruce set
of on his adventure around ten in the morning. He hadn’t actually been walking
long distances in quite a while and it felt really good. He made it to the
preserve way before noon and started walking through the forested area. It wasn’t
long before he saw rabbits hopping in the underbrush. Not far off from them he
noticed a couple of deer drinking from a stream. Not wanting to disturb them we
sat under a tree and observed. Once they’d walked away he headed towards the
stream.

The fish
in the stream were stunning to look at. He felt more relaxed sitting by that
stream than he had in eons. He felt like he was at peace. It was in that moment
that he knew what he wanted to do and where he wanted to go.

Finishing
his lunch he ambled further along the trail. He headed back towards the town
around four and get back to his hotel just before six o’clock. He really didn’t
feel like communicating with anyone, so went to the local store and grabbed a
few things for a light dinner. While he was there he grabbed a novel off one of
the shelves and headed back to his room. He spent the evening reading a book
and relaxing; something he couldn’t remember ever doing before. Bruce slept
soundly and in the morning he checked out of the hotel.

Bruce
Patterson walked over to the gas station and was told his car would be done by
10 o’clock. He went over to the diner. Shirley again greeted him with a large
smile and asked what he wanted. He ordered a cup of coffee and a breakfast
sandwich and sat at the counter.